Much of La Plagne's local ski area is on a gentle plateau made up of wide, undemanding slopes way above the treeline. As these descend into the forest on the south and north faces, they become steeper.

Towering over this largely beginner and intermediate playground is the 3,417m summit of Bellecôte, the starting point for some difficult couloirs and long off-piste descents. Add to this the spectacular cable car link to Les Arcs, the Vanoise Express that spans a valley 1,800m wide and 384 deep, built at a cost of €15 million and opened in 2002, and you have the enormous Paradiski area.

La Plagne's most distant outcrop is Champagny-en-Vanoise. It's possible to travel from here across half a dozen valleys all the way to the outskirts of Villaroger at the far end of the Les Arcs area. However, it's not worth the frustratingly long time spent on lifts rather than actual slopes. If on a week's holiday it makes sense to make just a single day's foray to Les Arcs and instead concentrate on the substantial amount of slopes La Plagne has to offer.

Beginners and intermediates will get the most of the ski area by staying in one of the higher accommodation centres, like Belle Plagne and Plagne Centre, where they can best access the plethora of easy blues. Unfortunately, the layout of the ski area does not lend itself to high-mileage cruisers in the same way as Méribel (and the Trois Vallées) and Tignes (and the Espace Killy) do. Despite huge improvements in recent years, the lift system still suffers from frustrating queues at peak times.

Experts will head immediately for the 2,700m Roche de Mio and the Bellecôte Glacier beyond. The south face has the easier terrain, a warm-up for the stomach-churning traverses and couloirs of the north face. The services of a guide are absolutely essential here.

The resort has two snowparks: the one at Belle Plagne has two separate zones for different levels of skill. Le Petit Park, reached by the Col de Forcle button lift is for novices while Le Grand Park, at the top of Belle Plagne, has four routes with around 20 rails and tables as well as an air-bag and a boardercross course.